The State Fair of Texas' 52-foot mechanical cowboy, Big Tex, sports an American flag and red, white and blue ribbons on his chest as he turns his head and tells people about events during opening day, Friday, Sept. 28, 2001, in Dallas. This year's fair runs for 24 days. (AP Photo/Bill Janscha) HOUCHRON CAPTION (08/25/2002): State Fair icon Big Tex has a music festival named in his honor.

The State Fair of Texas' 52-foot mechanical cowboy, Big Tex, sports an American flag and red, white and blue ribbons on his chest as he turns his head and tells people about events during opening day, Friday,

Christian Stevenson, 8, measures his height in order to ride on the "Windstorm" with his dad Shaun on opening day of the State Fair of Texas, Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 in Dallas. The State Fair of Texas, which marks its 125th anniversary this year, runs through Oct. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Patrick T. Fallon) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY less

Christian Stevenson, 8, measures his height in order to ride on the "Windstorm" with his dad Shaun on opening day of the State Fair of Texas, Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 in Dallas. The State Fair of Texas, which ... more

Photo: Patrick T. Fallon

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Gene Baker, with the State Fair, leans out on the shoulder of Big Tex to unfasten the lift cables on the north end of the State of Texas Fair's Midway in Dallas, Monday, Sept. 26, 2011. The 2011 State Fair, "A Timeless Tradition", is also the 125th anniversary of the Fair in Dallas. (AP Photo/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley)

Gene Baker, with the State Fair, leans out on the shoulder of Big Tex to unfasten the lift cables on the north end of the State of Texas Fair's Midway in Dallas, Monday, Sept. 26, 2011. The 2011 State Fair, "A

The 52-foot-tall cowboy known as Big Tex is made ready to welcome visitors to the State Fair of Texas after being lifted up to his familiar spot on Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, in Dallas. The State Fair of Texas' biggest spokesman was erected ahead of opening day, which will be Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Lara Solt) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET USE BY AP MEMBERS ONLY

The 52-foot-tall cowboy known as Big Tex is made ready to welcome visitors to the State Fair of Texas after being lifted up to his familiar spot on Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, in Dallas. The State Fair of Texas'

That - and my 8-year-old boy - is what I brought to the State Fair of Texas, where we met up with a pal whose pickled watermelon rinds snagged a blue ribbon in one of the myriad canning contests. (Go, Rebecca!)

Families heading to Dallas for the fair's 125th year will enjoy the crowded, sticky fun so long as they understand the currency: Admission gets you inside; coupons get you food and rides; and a game card lets you play games of chance. No matter how you do the math, it will cost you.

Last year, coupon sales alone brought in more than $37 million, says Sue Gooding, vice president of public relations at the fair. "We hope, eventually, to go to a debit-card system," she said, "but with more than 200 food vendors, it takes a lot to have a debit-card transaction at every stand."

But somehow the cost and drive to Dallas don't matter so much when you catch your kid gazing up at Big Tex - the fair's beloved iconic cowboy, who stands at a stunning 52 feet.

Here's what families shouldn't miss:

1.Fried bubble gum: "Is there any actual gum in this?" I asked the woman behind the concession stand who handed me three puffy balls on a stick. "No, ma'am," she answered. "But it's got lots of bubble-gum flavoring." Pink and gooey sweet, this confection is new to the fair and winner of a Big Tex Choice Award for most creative food. After injecting a large marshmallow with bubble-gum flavoring, the balls are dipped in batter, fried, then drizzled with blue cream-cheese icing and tiny candies. A skewer of three costs 10 coupons ($5).

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STATE FAIR OF TEXAS

Livestock, a daily parade, fireworks, an auto show, dog agility contests, Midway rides, concerts, horse shows and pig races are just some of the attractions.

When: Daily through Oct. 23

Where: Fair Park, 3921 Martin Luther King Blvd., Dallas

Admission: $16 adults; $12 children less than 48 inches tall; free for children 2 and younger

Bonus food news:"The fried beer from last year is still a big draw," Gooding said. (That's a pretzel pocket filled with beer and fried.) Another award-winning hit is buffalo chicken in a flapjack: a chicken strip dunked in batter, rolled in jalapeño bread crumbs, fried, skewered and - the clincher - served with a side of syrup.

2. Cirque Shanghai: After a few sweaty hours on the Midway, we plopped onto the pavement to watch Chinese acrobats perform on an outdoor stage. We thrust our heads back for the aerial acrobatics as the troupe twisted and spun around cords suspended above them. We winced in fear as a female acrobat stood en pointe atop her partner's head. Another pair of acrobats drew dramatic ooohs from the audience during a balancing routine as they raised, lowered and contorted their bodies so slowly that the two appeared to be one rippling form. Cirque Shanghai performs multiple times each day, seven days a week. Shows are free.

3. Games of chance:It's easy to spend money on the Midway, especially when your kid is desperate to win an oversize stuffed animal. We got lucky at Rising Waters, where each player shoots water at a small target and watches the water rise in a tube; the first player to fill the tube with water wins. I managed to win a 2-foot-tall Pokémon - a stocky, yellow Pikachu - for my son, which I then had the honor of carrying around for the next four hours. Pikachu was good company the following day, though, strapped into the front passenger seat for the long drive home.

4. Walking Tree Man:The Greenhouse on the Midway is a cool respite from the heat and bustle outside. Above displays of plants and flowers runs the Texas Garden Railway, a model train carrying a mini Big Tex. Take time to color a gourd and watch a pumpkin-carving demo, but don't leave until you meet Cliff Spenger. "They call me the Walking Tree Man," Spenger said while perched on a ladder and struggling to pull on a pair of long rubbery pants attached to stilts. The pants look like tree trunks. In his full tree regalia Spenger stands at a towering 12 feet. And when he lopes through the greenhouse, posing for photos with families, even the tallest adults will feel small.

5. The Skyway gondola: For moms and dads with tired, whiny children, this is your get-out-of jail-free card. The Skyway gondola lifts you above the crowd and carries you from one side of the fair to the other, above the rides and tents and Art Deco buildings below. At a cost of 10 coupons per person, a family can tumble in at the end of the day, hitch a ride back to the fair entrance and catch a stunning view of the Dallas skyline along the way.